I'm gonna disagree somewhat here. 

1992 I was in the job market. What was that, 34 years ago?  The Boomers were in their prime. The job market was pretty tight and professional jobs were hard to find. Hell, construction and machining jobs weren't easy to find. Certifications were a way to prove you were qualified for the positions you were applying for. 

Is that Gate keeping? I dunno. It's just the reality of the situation. Is it necessary? I dunno. Is it bad? I don't really think so. It shows that a certain pool of individuals should all have a certain skill set. It ads value. 

Cosmotology training can be completed in a Votech school. We have young adults coming out of high school or just after here certified. It's not that high of a bar. Should there be any bar? Probably. But the whole Libertarian "just let the market sort it out' vision doesn't work either.